Ventilating installation in tunnels



A. BARTHOLOMI VENTILATING INSTALLATION IN TUNNEL-s June 9, 1942.

Filed Jan. 1l, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 9, 1942. A. BARTHoLoMl 2,285,337

VENTILATING INSTALLATION IN TUNNELS Patented June 9, 1942 VENTILATING INSTALLATION IN TUNNELS- Alfred Bartholomi, Werchlaube, Lucerne, Switzerland Application January 11, 1938, Serial No. 184,369 In Switzerland January 23, 1937 1 Claim..

Ventilating installations for vehicular roadway tunnels comprising independent Ventilating sections wherein fresh air is fed into the tunnel from slots at road level and foul air is removed through slots in the upper part of the tunnel are already know. It is also known to feed fresh air into the tunnel from the said slots in the upper part of the tunnel and remove foul air through the said slots at road level. 'I'hese installations give the better result when the fresh air is fed in from the slots at road level and foul air is removed from the slots in the upper part of the tunnel, but are not suciently efficient and flexible to cope with present day trame conditions in an economical manner.

The object of my invention is to provide a Ventilating installation which removes exhaust gases and foul air from the tunnel very efficiently and the action of which can be varied within Wide limits to suit exactly all conditions and fluctuations in conditions Without entailing high running costs.

I attain this object by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a view in cross-section through a vehicular road tunnel and illustrates one constructional example of a Ventilating installation in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a View in cross-section through an under-water tunnel composed of tubes and illustrates another constructional example of a Ventilating installation in accordance with my invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section taken on a line corresponding with line a-b of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section taken on a line corresponding with line c-d of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic View in longitudinal section of a tunnel provided with a ventilating installation in accordance with Figures 1, 3 and 4.

Referring to the drawings, in the construction, as applied by way of example to a tunnel Wherein the Ventilating installation has two independent sections, indicated by the reference numerals I'I and I8 respectively in Figure 5, section I'l comprises independent fresh air chambers 8, 8 and 8" and the section I8 comprises independent fresh air chambers S, 8', 8" and 8. Each section is fed with fresh air from a separate station I6 furnished with the necessary air blowing plant. The fresh air chambers of each section are connected to the air blowers of the respective station by independent fresh air feed canals I, whereby the said chambers can be separately and independently controlled. The section I1 also comprises independent foul air chambers g, 9 and 9 and the sectionv I8 also comprises independent foul air chambers 9, 9', 9 and 9". Each section has the foul air drawn from it to a separate station I5 furnished with the necessary exhausting plant. Partitions I5 completely separate the fresh air chambers from each other and the foul air chambers from each other and each of the fresh air chambers 8, 8', 8 and 8" is connected to its respective station by a separate fresh air conduit I whereby the said chambers can be fed independently with fresh air. Each of the foul air chambers 9, 9', 9" and 9" is connected to its respective station by a separate foul air conduit 6 whereby the said chambers can be exhausted independently from each other. Partitions 'I separate the fresh air chambers from each other and the foul air chambers from each other.

The fresh air chambers are situated. in the upper part of the tunnel and communicated separately with the interior thereof .by means of fresh air slots 3, there being a plurality of slots 3 for each fresh air chamber. The foul air chambers are disposed at the sides of the roadway, whose level is indicated by the reference 2. Pedestrian pavements I4 are provided above the foul air chambers and foul air conduits. Each foul air chamber communicates separately with the interior of the tunnel by means of foul air exhausting slots 5 and, as shown, all the slots 5 are situated at about that height above the road level 2 at which exhaust gases are discharged from the vehicles passing through the tunnel. In Figures 1 and 2, the arrows indicate the general direction which the foul air and more particularly the exhaust gases are caused to take when being drawn through the foul air slots 5 into the foul air chambers 9, 9', 9 and 9.

In the hereinbefore described construction, circulation of fresh air is in a downward direction whilst withdrawal of exhaust gases is in a substantially horizontal or rising direction. The exhaust gases are withdrawn exactly `at the side of the zone which they occupy when discharged by the vehicles and this withdrawal, coupled with the downward flow of fresh air to the slots 5, prevents contamination of the air at breathing and sight height with combustion products and consequently ensures healthy air for breathing at breathing height and an absence of haze or reduction of visibility at sight height. Furthermore, due to the provision of separately supplied fresh air chambers and separately exhausted foul air chambers in each section, the ideal breathing and sight conditions can be maintained uniformly at every part of each section, because the strength of distribution of fresh air withdrawal of foul air is uniform at every part of the section. In addition, by regulation of the quantity of fresh `air owing from individual fresh air chambers into the tunnel or stopping the flow of fresh air from individual fresh air chambers, and regulation of the quantity of foul air drawn into individual foul air chambers or stopping the withdrawal of foul air into individual chambers, the rate and kind of ventilation within the tunnel can be varied within wide limits to produce over the whole length of each section a uniform state of efcient ventilation to suit all rates of flow and kinds of traic through the tunnel and compensate for all momentary uctuations in the rates of flow and kinds of traffic through the tunnel.

The length `and width of the fresh air chambers and foul air chambers conform to the local and aerotechnical conditions. The fresh air slots 3 open into the tunnel at the longitudinal middle of the fresh air chambers. The fresh air chambers 8, 8', 8 and 8' widen towards the fresh air feed slots 3. I2 are guide walls provided in the fresh air feed chambers 8, 8', 8 and 8" and so formed and positioned as yto produce a uniform distribution of air to the slots 3. Guide walls I3 are provided in the foul air chambers to produce uniformity of withdrawal of foul air through the slots 5 of each foul air chamber. I0 are conduits in the upper part of the tunnel for a compressed air-water mistI production. The action of this production increases the advantageous effects of the hereinbefore described Ventilating installation. I I is a water-removal canal.

In Figure 5 the direction of flow of fresh air into each fresh air chamber and the direction of flow of foul air from each foul air chamber when the respective chamber is in action, is indcated by an arrow.

I claim:

A ventilation installation in a vehicular roadway tunnel comprising in combination, a plurality of independent Ventilating sections into which the length of the installation is divided, a plurality of independently controllable fresh air feed chambers in each section, fresh air feed slots situated in the upper part of the tunnel and independently connecting each fresh air feed chamber to the interior of the tunnel, means for feeding fresh air independently and separately to each of the said chambers, a plurality of independently controllable foul air chambers in each section, foul air exhausting slots situated at about that height above the road level at which the exhaust gases are discharged from vehicles and independently connecting each foul air chamber to the interior of the tunnel at an elevation which about equals the elevation of emission of the exhaust gases from the said vehicles, and means for withdrawing foul air independently and separately from each of the said chambers and discharging it to atmosphere.

ALFRED BARTHOLOMI. 

